Massive earthquake may hit Sri Lanka: reveals Study

A study has revealed that Sri Lanka and much of the Indian Ocean region are vulnerable to as large or even larger tsunamis than the one that resulted from the 2004 magnitude 9.2 Sumatra earthquake.

The December 26th, 2004 Sumatra earthquake resulted in a trans-oceanic tsunami, killing more than 200,000 people.

For the study, the researchers collected and analysed 22 sediment cores - materials trapped within are scanned to re-construct past ocean conditions - from Karagan Lagoon, Hambantota in south-eastern Sri Lanka, to examine the historical record of giant earthquakes along the Sumatra-Andaman zone, where the Indo-Australian plate and Eurasian plate meet.

Kelly Jackson from the University of Miami said these results are very important to better understand the tsunami hazard in Sri Lanka.